title: Loss of estrogen receptor beta expression correlates with shorter overall survival and lack of clinical response to chemotherapy in ovarian cancer patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) belongs to a large family of nuclear receptors. Recent studies have suggested that ERβ in contrast to ERα might act as a tumour suppressor in ovarian cancer (OVCA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Expression of ERβ was detected by immunocytochemistry in 11 OVCA cell lines and by immunohistochemistry in 43 (41 FIGO stage III) OVCA specimens prepared before chemotherapy and 30 specimens from the same group after chemotherapy. Cisplatin sensitivity in the 11 cell lines was also analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant correlations between cisplatin-sensitivity and expression of ERβ was found in the cell lines. In the cases which responded well to chemotherapy (complete response) ERβ expression at preliminary laparotomy (PL) was significantly higher (p = 0.0004) than in those with progressive disease. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the patients with higher ERβ expression (>30% of cells) at PL had an increased overall survival time and progression-free time (p = 0.00161 and p = 0.03255, respectively) than the patients with lower ERβ expression. Significantly shorter overall survival time characterized the cases with lower immunoreactivity score of ERβ expression at secondary cytoreduction (SCR) (p = 0.00346).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The loss of ERβ expression in ovarian tumours may be a feature of malignant transformation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathomorphology, Wroclaw Medical University, Marcinkowskiego 1, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland. ahalon2@gmail.com
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Halon
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nowak-Markwitz
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maciejczyk
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pudelko
authors.forename: Tserenchunt
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gansukh
authors.forename: Balázs
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Györffy
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Donizy
authors.forename: Dawid
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Murawa
authors.forename: Rafal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Matkowski
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spaczynski
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lage
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Surowiak
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000494:pharmacology; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000172:deficiency*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D002945:Cisplatin